6. Treat women with purity: For all men out there, you need to
treat women with respect and purity. Remember that every woman is a child of
God, and Christian men have the nonnegotiable duty to protect them. When you
defile a woman, you are stealing something that is not yours.
“Do not rebuke an older
man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as
mothers, younger women as sisters, WITH ALL PURITY” (I Timothy 5:1-2).
Before you
do something stupid and sinful during your date, ask yourself, “Do you want
your future mate to have been close to sex with lots of others before you?” If
your answer to that question is no, then better respect your date.
7. Avoid desperation in dating: Christians should avoid falling into
the trap of desperation. The world dating culture places a large emphasis on
marriage, which places pressure on single believers to get married.
This often
causes single Christians to become desperate and to date anyone because of the
pressure to be married often just to have sex within the confines of marriage.
Such a mindset goes against the Bible, which urges believers to seriously
consider marriage or singleness based on legitimate reasons and not because of
external pressure (1 John 4:18).
“There is no fear in
love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love”.
8. Avoid appearance of evil: Avoiding the appearance of evil is
crucial when dating. If you are going to date, you should not be dating in
dark, secluded, and isolated places. That will just lead to sexual temptation.
“Abstain from every
form of evil” (I
Thessalonians 5:22).
Don’t date to convert: Some Christians rationalize dating
non-believers because their effort might “lead” them to church. While this
might be a good idea, the Bible reveals otherwise. It is never in our hands to
call people into the church. This is God’s prerogative. It is Him who draws
people to His church. We are just to serve as lights to the world and lead a
godly example (John 6:44).
“No one can come to Me
unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last
day”
9. Being single is not a lesser state: Although Christians can still date
with the intention of finding someone to marry; there is still the possibility
that they will remain single for a part or the rest of their life. Being single
is not a lesser state but has many great benefits in serving the Lord (1
Corinthians 7:32, 34).
“32 I would like you to
be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s
affairs—how he can please the Lord”.
“34 and his interests
are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s
affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a
married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please
her husband”.
Principles of Christian Dating Part 1
No comments:
Post a Comment